Former Morgan Stanley Wealth Manager Blames His Dog

JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
The budding filmmaker in court.
We now take a break from our regularly scheduled editorial to give you the following:

Is this guy kidding? I almost choked on my coffee while reading the following story this morning. I wanted to give it a mention... then I discovered the connection to Vinny Gorgeous, and knew I had to do something on it.

The NY Daily New is running a report today that says: "An ex-Morgan Stanley wealth manager who secretly filmed trysts with three women claimed he “accidentally” recorded the romps with cameras that were meant to watch his pet, authorities said Thursday.


“I have this camera set up in my apartment to watch my dog when I'm not there,” John C. Kelly allegedly told prosecutors on Feb. 26.

“It's not on and sometimes stays on. So I accidentally recorded myself having sex because it's always recording,” he allegedly added.

Kelly, the son of prominent lawyer and talking head John Q. Kelly, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday to a 19-count indictment on unlawful surveillance in the second degree, a felony, and related charges.

He allegedly recorded his women in his E. 69th St. apartment between May 2011 and December 2012."

Still, our money says this guy will beat the charges. Why? Because of who he was smart enough to hire as his lawyer: Benjamin Brafman, who--unless there is another lawyer in New York with the same name--is the lawyer who won an acquittal for "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano in the Blue Thunder case. Yes, the case had problems -- primarily due to the fact that nearly every law enforcement official involved in the investigation had stolen money or drugs. But some of the defendants are in prison still, having wound up with draconian prison sentences; not Basciano. (Well, he is actually serving a draconian prison sentence now, but not for Blue Thunder. Which brings us to...)

Vinny should've taken Brafman's advice: "God smiled on you," he told Basciano after the trial was over, when the two were walking outside the courthouse in the fresh air (according to the Anthony M. DeStefano book: "Vinny Gorgeous," an engrossing account of the rise and fall of a Bonanno boss.) "Get out of this life," Brafman continued, "go away from New York, sell your stores and your buildings, and go have life that is away from the Bronx. You don't have to be Vinny Gorgeous." One of Vinny's earlier monikers was "Vinny from the Bronx."

And, according to the Daily News report, Brafman has already found this guy's ticket: "...Kelly's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told Justice Ronald Zweibel the case started with Kelly reporting to cops that one of the women was stalking him.

“This is an ill-advised prosecution and Mr. Kelly is the victim in this case,” Brafman said after the appearance.

The case was adjourned to April 10. Kelly faces up to four years in prison on the top count."

It was noted last November by the Daily News that "one of the women allegedly burglarized Kelly’s apartment, trashing it and pouring soda on his computer. She was arrested, but the case is expected to be dismissed." READ REST

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